


right where i belong

by haipollai



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Captain America: The Winter Soldier Spoilers, M/M, Missing Scene, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:21:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1441603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haipollai/pseuds/haipollai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam whistles between his teeth when he finds the side room Steve claimed to change. He's only in the pants and has been staring down the jacket for the past two minutes and thirty one seconds. Sam's been counting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	right where i belong

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS

Sam whistles between his teeth when he finds the side room Steve claimed to change. He's only in the pants and has been staring down the jacket for the past two minutes and thirty one seconds. Sam's been counting. Steve jumps in surprise and looks like he might try to hide. As if there were anywhere to hide in a ten by ten concrete room.

"So you gonna ride into battle shirtless?" He takes his time looking now that Steve is looking at him. It's too obvious and his heart races but Steve's shoulders slowly ease.

"No. It's just-" His fingers tighten in the fabric and he looks like he might rip it apart. "It's strange."

"I get it man," Sam says softly, taking a few steps further in. There's no door, so any privacy is really an illusion. He doesn't really trust any of their company to not eavesdrop on them. "It's going into the past and dealing with shit you haven't had to before. Easy to pretend it's a different war when you got a different uniform."

Steve smiles weakly. "Seemed like a good idea when I went for it, the uniform I went after Hydra in the first place. And maybe- maybe-"

"Maybe he'll recognize it." Sam rests his palm on the dip between Steve's shoulder blades. His skin is burning under Sam's hand, almost enough for him to jerk back but Steve relaxes at the touch, as if he's craving it. Sam can't let go, he can't abandon the guy, even in small ways.

"I know I shouldn't hope." He leans into Sam and it's natural for his arm to curl around Steve's shoulders.

"Seems to be one of those big, defining traits you got."

Steve turns into him and they are suddenly close and in each others space. A make it or break it moment. Sam is sure he should pull back, step away, anyone would understand. They've known each other for a week but Sam hasn't clicked with anyone like this since Reilly and he and Reilly had history. They flew together, they were test pilots together. Despite helping all those at the VA since coming home, he's never let himself connect. He wonders what Steve and Bucky's relationship really was, if it was the neat clean friendship on display at the Smithsonian or something less family friendly.

Part of him doesn't want to ask, he doesn't want to be the rebound. With Steve, things just seem to happen between them and it all feels something like natural. Even letting him into his life when danger was obviously close behind.

"Took a nap here," Steve murmurs, leaning in further so his voice doesn't have to carry far. "Just you know, five minutes. Slept better here than in eight hours in my own bed."

Sam grins. "You sure you even have to sleep?"

"Sometimes. Waste of time really." Steve's fingers are on his cheek and _that's_ how it is. His smile is small but hesitant, waiting for Sam to create a boundary. Sam doesn't move and Steve finally leans in, following through on the promise of his fingers and kisses him. It's soft at first, testing each other. Sam opens up first, drawing Steve in deeper. His fingers hook in the belt loops and he wonders what it would be like, to have Steve in full uniform when they fucked.

If they ever get a chance to fuck.

Steve is already pulling back, his eyes closed. The looseness is still there in his shoulders and Sam wants to reach out and drag his hands along his skin. "I should…"

"Yea. Time's ticking." Sam takes a step back, planning on turning away. Giving Steve back his space but Steve catches his arm, keeps him there.

"Thank you. For being a friend when you had no damn reason to be."

Sam knows a good bye when he hears one. He should probably be more hurt that he was simply a thing on Steve's bucket list but Steve needs him, and he can't feel bad about that. He curls his hand around the nape of Steve's neck, pulls him back in for one last kiss and this time doesn't hesitate. All the tricks Sam's learned over the years and Steve kisses back, full of desperation. "Stick around and maybe we can be more than friends," Sam whispers.

This time he moves back, out of reach. Steve stars down at the star on his uniform. "I've got to try."

Sam understands. He'd do the same, keep on trying, if he could get his wingman back. There's no accepting the dead in the end, just trying to move on. "I can't fight this for you, but I've got your back."

Steve's smile is so relieved it hurts. "Thank you. You might be the only one I trust right now." And he turns away, Sam still watches as his shoulders flex as he pulls on the rest of his uniform and it's Captain America standing in front of him. He even manages a smile when he turns back to Sam though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Ready to go save the world?"

Sam grins back but Steve is just as good at spotting guys who fake it. "Let's go, I'll try to keep up."

(When he hits the ground and looks up at the Helicarrier, knowing who Steve is facing down, he tries to resign himself to having lost something good.)


End file.
